A method for accessing a data processing system is provided.
According to the prior art, data processing systems are composed of a multiplicity of data processing units. It is widely known, for example, that personal computers, computer-controlled equipment, servers and the like are networked to one another to exchange data. Each data processing unit is assigned a restricted number of users. In order to prevent unauthorized use of a data processing unit, each user has a personal password. A user proves his authentication by inputting the password and receives access to the data processing system.
In medical facilities, data processing systems are complex. Diagnostic and analytical devices are components of such medical facilities. These devices must always be kept in a satisfactory functional state. A system technician generally requires access to the data processing system for maintenance and repair of these devices. A continuous problem is that the system technician can under certain circumstances receive access to personal patient data when accessing the data processing system. According to data protection law, a data processing system can only be accessed according to the two man principle, i.e. only by two authorized persons at the same time. In practice, this is virtually impossible to implement. If there is a functional fault in a data processing system, immediate remedy is generally necessary and in some cases two authorized system technicians that are sufficiently qualified to deal with the functional fault are not always available at the same time.
DE 101 21 819 A1 discloses a method in which a doctor is provided with access to patient-specific data only after the doctor reads in a first chip card assigned to him and the patient, whom is present at the same time, and reads in a second chip card that belongs to him, into the data processing device at the doctor's surgery (station), for the purpose of authentication.